Indicia reading terminals are available in multiple varieties. The well-known gun style reader as commonly seen at retail store checkout counters is typically available in a form devoid of a keyboard and display. Enhanced functioning indicia reading terminals having keyboards displays and advanced networking communication capabilities are also available. Typically, indicia reading terminals have triggers for activating decoding attempts. Whatever the variety, users of such indicia reading terminals desire snappiness of operation. A terminal's trigger to read (TTR) time is a measure of a delay between the time a trigger is actuated for initiating a decode attempt and a time a decoded message is output.
It has been observed that long trigger to read times occur when a terminal consumes time attempting to decode frames of poor quality, the poor frame quality resulting from the frame being devoid of a decodable indicia representation or is of otherwise insufficient quality due to e.g., poor illumination, poor focusing, and/or hand jitter to permit decoding. In one instance, a frame of image data devoid of a decodable indicia representation and therefore of low quality can be processed in accordance with a decoding application for a period of up to tens of frame times until a timeout period is reached without there being output a decoded message. In another instance, a frame including a decodable indicia, but of insufficient quality to allow for decoding, can be subject to processing in accordance with a decoding application for a period of up to tens of frame times until a timeout period is reached without there being output a decoded message.
There exists a need to improve TTR times for indicia reading terminals.